August 2, 2008
I have now nestled in to the manse at Dunvegan. It is hard not to compare the two manses, but I would have to say that Snizort did a much better job of preparing for my arrival. Everything was very clean, food stuffs had been put in the cabinets and the manse itself is somewhat newer. On the other hand, however, Dunvegan does have a phone and a cordless extension. I will not have an internet connection here, either. However, just down the street from the manse, a lady in the church has offered me the use of her computer during the day. She is gone all day and so I will take advantage of that, as long as she is not there. I had supper with her and her husband last night and she allowed me on while they were finishing up preparations for the meal. The computer is much faster than in Portree and there is no 30 minute time limits…thank you, Lord.
The actual typing of this is being done in the manse and I will download it on Monday morning.
The manse’s bedrooms are quite small and there is no ensuite bathroom. It is just fine right now, but when Linda’s family arrives…well, it will be fun. It has a small full bath and a powder room. I wonder whether the men or the women will get the half-bath? Duhhhhhh! Two major benefits of this manse as opposed to Snizort is that this manse has a huge living area with two sofas and it also has a dining table, as well as a kitchen table. Either of the two tables will easily facilitate 6 people. It is not that big a deal, anyway, because the six of us will only be in this house for six days. No biggie.
The two churches I will pastor in this parish are light years apart in many ways. Dunvegan’s congregation (DC) is in this huge church. They will have anywhere between 60 and 90 people on any given Sunday. Dunvegan is a large tourist attraction with a couple of hotels and many bed and breakfasts in the town, which will cause the attendance to fluctuate even more. The church building was refurbished in 1983. I have seen the pictures of it and it was quite a project. It is very old church style with an elevated pulpit. I don’t know if it was elevated to make it harder for people to reach the parson with rotten fruit on a bad preaching day or what. But, for me, I see the advantage as being, if Jesus comes back while I am in the pulpit, I will have about a 15ft. head start on everyone else in the pews.
The Bracadale Church (BC) is about 45 minutes from the manse. It is only about 25 miles away, but, because the road is so winding, your average speed is somewhere around 40-45 miles per hour. The BC will have between 14 and 20 in attendance on any given Sunday. The BC meets only at night and DC meets on Sunday morning. The BC does not have a “crow’s nest” and is very informal.
I was quite warmly received in D. by the MacLeod’s (pron. McCloud), Donald and Rosemary. He was a member of the British Foreign Diplomatic Service for 30 years. Everyone told me that he was a rather formal chap, but I found him to be very down to earth. I would love to listen to him talk about his many travels with included, Burma, Indonesia, Singapore, Germany, Switzerland and Rumania. His wife is a charming, gracious and hospitable person. They had me over for supper on Thursday evening…fresh halibut, green veggies, leeks, potatoes and a fruit dessert. We talked about our relationships to the Lord and I found them to be people of deep faith and have many opportunities to live it out among their unsaved acquaintances.
Last night, I had supper with the lady and her husband, who are giving me access to their computer. Their names are Anne and Peter MacAskill. She is the church clerk and is the secretary of a building contractor, who also employs one of the elders from the Snizort Parish, Archie MacDonald. Archie and his wife, Jan, were away on vacation most of the time that I was in Snizort, but he and his wife were two of the most vocal and expressive in the services showing strong acceptance with my preaching. Well, not taking anything away from Anne’s warm reception of me, as to her being that kind of person, but I don’t think it hurt that Archie had prepared her for my coming by saying to her, “You are really going to like him. I wish we weren’t losing him to the DC.”
Tomorrow will be my first Sunday at Dunvegan Parish. I am just about ready, but I am closing now to finish up work on my pm service. I am excited about the coming two months of ministry. Please continue in your prayers for me. I have felt them and appreciate your remembering me before the Father. “Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love incorruptible.” (Eph. 6:23,24) Cheerio!
I have now nestled in to the manse at Dunvegan. It is hard not to compare the two manses, but I would have to say that Snizort did a much better job of preparing for my arrival. Everything was very clean, food stuffs had been put in the cabinets and the manse itself is somewhat newer. On the other hand, however, Dunvegan does have a phone and a cordless extension. I will not have an internet connection here, either. However, just down the street from the manse, a lady in the church has offered me the use of her computer during the day. She is gone all day and so I will take advantage of that, as long as she is not there. I had supper with her and her husband last night and she allowed me on while they were finishing up preparations for the meal. The computer is much faster than in Portree and there is no 30 minute time limits…thank you, Lord.
The actual typing of this is being done in the manse and I will download it on Monday morning.The manse’s bedrooms are quite small and there is no ensuite bathroom. It is just fine right now, but when Linda’s family arrives…well, it will be fun. It has a small full bath and a powder room. I wonder whether the men or the women will get the half-bath? Duhhhhhh! Two major benefits of this manse as opposed to Snizort is that this manse has a huge living area with two sofas and it also has a dining table, as well as a kitchen table. Either of the two tables will easily facilitate 6 people. It is not that big a deal, anyway, because the six of us will only be in this house for six days. No biggie.
The two churches I will pastor in this parish are light years apart in many ways. Dunvegan’s congregation (DC) is in this huge church. They will have anywhere between 60 and 90 people on any given Sunday. Dunvegan is a large tourist attraction with a couple of hotels and many bed and breakfasts in the town, which will cause the attendance to fluctuate even more. The church building was refurbished in 1983. I have seen the pictures of it and it was quite a project. It is very old church style with an elevated pulpit. I don’t know if it was elevated to make it harder for people to reach the parson with rotten fruit on a bad preaching day or what. But, for me, I see the advantage as being, if Jesus comes back while I am in the pulpit, I will have about a 15ft. head start on everyone else in the pews.
The Bracadale Church (BC) is about 45 minutes from the manse. It is only about 25 miles away, but, because the road is so winding, your average speed is somewhere around 40-45 miles per hour. The BC will have between 14 and 20 in attendance on any given Sunday. The BC meets only at night and DC meets on Sunday morning. The BC does not have a “crow’s nest” and is very informal.
I was quite warmly received in D. by the MacLeod’s (pron. McCloud), Donald and Rosemary. He was a member of the British Foreign Diplomatic Service for 30 years. Everyone told me that he was a rather formal chap, but I found him to be very down to earth. I would love to listen to him talk about his many travels with included, Burma, Indonesia, Singapore, Germany, Switzerland and Rumania. His wife is a charming, gracious and hospitable person. They had me over for supper on Thursday evening…fresh halibut, green veggies, leeks, potatoes and a fruit dessert. We talked about our relationships to the Lord and I found them to be people of deep faith and have many opportunities to live it out among their unsaved acquaintances.Last night, I had supper with the lady and her husband, who are giving me access to their computer. Their names are Anne and Peter MacAskill. She is the church clerk and is the secretary of a building contractor, who also employs one of the elders from the Snizort Parish, Archie MacDonald. Archie and his wife, Jan, were away on vacation most of the time that I was in Snizort, but he and his wife were two of the most vocal and expressive in the services showing strong acceptance with my preaching. Well, not taking anything away from Anne’s warm reception of me, as to her being that kind of person, but I don’t think it hurt that Archie had prepared her for my coming by saying to her, “You are really going to like him. I wish we weren’t losing him to the DC.”
Tomorrow will be my first Sunday at Dunvegan Parish. I am just about ready, but I am closing now to finish up work on my pm service. I am excited about the coming two months of ministry. Please continue in your prayers for me. I have felt them and appreciate your remembering me before the Father. “Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love incorruptible.” (Eph. 6:23,24) Cheerio!
No comments:
Post a Comment